Automated programming recording

ABSTRACT

A method and system of providing access to television programs without requiring a user to operate an electronic programming guide or to independently determine information required to access the television program. Optionally, access to the television program may be facilitated by scheduling a recording of the televisions program or providing instructions to facilitate accessing an on-demand showing of the television program.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to automated program recording of the typewherein scheduling instructions are relied upon by a recording device toschedule a future program recording.

2. Background Art

Digital video recorders (DVRs) are one type of personal video recorder(PVR) commonly used to record programs. An electronic programming guide(EPG) or other application, operating either on the DVR or anotherdevice, such as a settop box (STB), can be used to facilitate schedulingDVR recordings. The guides include navigable user interfaces, typicallypartitioned into a grid arrangement where each program is identifiedaccording to time and channel. A user can search through the interfacesto find a program of interest, and if necessary, select an option torecord the program.

The guide includes recording information necessary for the DVR toschedule a recording of the selected program, such as the channelshowing the program and the time period for which the channel is to berecorded. The guides have a limited date range of information in thatthey are unable to identify programs occurring beyond some point in thefuture, typically a couple of weeks. This can be problematic if a userdesires to record a program that is not included within the guide, suchas a new program that is not currently scheduled into the guide.

Some guides include a user directed option where the user is able tomanually schedule a recording of the program by entering the necessaryrecording information. This process, however, requires the user toexecute a number of operations and to have knowledge of the time periodand channel to be recorded. If the time period and channel of theprogram is not known to the user or is not yet scheduled by a serviceprovider for broadcast, the user is unable to manually schedule therecording.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is pointed out with particularity in the appendedclaims. However, other features of the present invention will becomemore apparent and the present invention will be best understood byreferring to the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompany drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for supporting automated recording inaccordance with one non-limiting aspect of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method of automated programrecording in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for supporting automated recording inaccordance with one non-limiting aspect of the present invention. Thesystem 10 is shown for exemplary purpose as being adapted for use in atelevision environment where a service provider 12 electronicallydelivers television signals to a subscriber 14 over a network 16. Thesubscriber 16 may include a recorder 18 and output device 20 tofacilitate processing and recording of the television signals.

The system 10 is predominately described with respect to the serviceprovider utilizing the television signal to support television programtransmission, such as through linear and/or non-linear unicast and/orbroadcast transmissions. The television signals may be descrambled orotherwise processed by the output device 20, such as but not limited toa settop box (STB), for output to a television or other display (notshown). The recorder 18 may be a digital video recorder (DVR) or othertype of personal video recorder (PVR) having capabilities for recordingthe television signals for user-directed playback on the output device.

For exemplary purposes, the system 10 is described with respect tofacilitating automated scheduling of programs to be recorded on therecorder 18. This is done for exemplary purposes only and withoutintending to limit the scope and contemplation of the present invention.The present invention fully contemplates facilitating automatedscheduling for any type of recording, and not just television basedprogram recording. Moreover, the present invention is not intended to belimited to recording locally on the recorder 18 and fully contemplatesscheduling off-site or remote recordings at other locations. Theplayback of the scheduled recordings is not limited to playback on thelocal output device and may be coordinated and/or supported on a mobilephone or at another location besides that of subscriber.

The automated program recording contemplated by one non-limiting aspectof the present invention relies on data carried within a transportstream, such as but not limited to extended data service (XDS) data,segment identifiers used to individual identify the multiple segmentscomprising each program, such as those carried within a data layer of anMPEG transport stream, and other data available with Internet Protocol(IP) or other data packets having capabilities sufficient to facilitatetransmission of the television programs. The data carried with thetelevision program transmission may be considered to be in-band (IB)data in that it is carried along with the content of the televisionprogram when the program is transmitted from the service provider, asopposed to out-of-band (OOB) data which is transmitted separately fromthe content transmission. In this manner, one non-limiting aspect of thepresent invention may rely on IB data to facilitate scheduling therecorder.

The present invention contemplates scheduling the recording withoutrelying on electronic programming guide (EPG) data or other datatypically transmitted to the recorder 18 or output device 20 to supportapplications/guides and other user interactive features that users maynavigate to locate available content. This allows the present inventionto schedule recordings beyond the date range limits of EPG and DVRrecording guides by including the recording information needed toschedule the recording within the television signal transmission and/orby including an identifier that can be used to request or look-up anyadditional information not carried within the television signaltransmission that may be required by the recorder 18 to scheduled therecording.

The system 10 may include a recording scheduler 22 to facilitategeneration of the scheduling information required by the recorder 18 torecord a desired program. The scheduler 22 may operate in cooperationwith the service provider to either provide the necessary data to theservice provider to embed with transmission of the television programsand/or the scheduler 22 may be an entity separate from the serviceprovider having capabilities sufficient to support embedding the data inaccordance with the operations contemplated by the present invention.The scheduler 22 may include any information necessary for the recorder18 to schedule a recording, such as but not limited to information onthe channel assigned to carry the program, the duration for which theprogram is to be recorded, and in some case, the frequency at which theprogram is to be recorded (some programs may be repeatedly recorded,such as if the program relates to a television series.)

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart 40 of a method of automated programrecording in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention. The method may be implemented with the assistance of acomputer-readable medium and/or with the assistance of any number oflogical processing elements used within any environment applicable tothe present invention, such as with the assistance of the abovedescribed scheduler 22, output device 20, and/or recorder 18 operatingin accordance with instructions stored on the computer-readable medium.Each of the operations described below need not necessarily be executedor executed in the described order as variations may be made inaccordance with the scope and contemplation of the present invention.

Block 42 relates to determining a recording request. The recordingrequest may be determined by a user pressing a record button included ona remote control for controlling the output device 20 and/or therecorder 18 or by responding to a prompt shown during viewing of aprogram, such as but not limited to a prompt that is triggered with apop-up icon/advertisement and/or through interaction with a guide orother navigable user interface. The user may also initiate the recordingrequest by calling the service provider, communication an email/textmessage, or taking other action not necessarily executed throughinteraction with the output device or recorder.

Block 44 relates to determining whether the recording request is for acurrent program. The current program can be classified as a programhaving recording information already available to the output deviceand/recorder through a guide application, such as an EPG or other thelike. A request for the current program may correspond with recordingrequests made for programs having scheduling information that is alreadyactively being transmitted through OOB messaging. One non-limitingaspect of the present invention contemplates triggering a recordingwithout requiring the user to navigate an EPG or recording guide bysimply pressing a record button on a remote control.

The program desired for recording may be inferred to be the currentlytuned-to program or a program currently being output by the outputdevice 20. Optionally, the inference of the program desired forrecording need not necessary correspond with the currently tuned-toprogram. An assessment can be made of the content showing within thetuned-to program to facilitate identifying the program actually desiredfor recording. If a commercial is showing, for example, to advertise anupcoming program, such as for a program due out well out into the future(beyond the data range of the EPG or recorder guide), it may be inferredthat the recording request is initiated for the advertised message andnot the currently tuned-to program.

Optionally, during playback of the commercial or while another item ofinterest is being shown, a message may appear, such as a pop-up icon, toprompt the user with a recording requests. The icon may appear for abrief period of time, during which the user can request recording of theprogram shown in the icon by simply pressing an input of the remotecontrol, after which the icon may automatically disappear. The icon mayalso be displayed until the user inputs a responsive reply eitheraccepting or denying the recording.

The recording request is, therefore, analyzed with respect to thecommercials and/or icons showing while the request is received and/orthose that have recently been shown to assess whether the requestrelates to a currently tuned-to program, a program having locallyavailable scheduling information, or an upcoming program. Block 46 isreached if the program relates to the currently tuned-to program or aprogram where the scheduling information needed by the recorder 18 isretrieved from an EPG guide, recorder guide, or other data alreadyhaving the scheduling information required by the recorder 18 toschedule the desired recording. Once the necessary schedulinginformation is retrieved, it is transmitted or otherwise communicated inBlock 48 to the record to schedule the recording.

If program request for recording is not for the currently tuned-toprogram or a program for which the related scheduling information isavailable locally in one of the guides, Block 50 is reached to identifythe program desired for recording. This may include cross-reference thetime of day or program elapse time corresponding with receipt of therecording request with the current tuned-to channel number to identify acommercial, icon, or other event showing proximate in time to therequest. Data embedded within the currently tune-to program may also beused to facilitate identifying the program desired for recording. Forexample, a segment corresponding with an advertisement for the upcomingprogram may include data within a segment identifier that can be used asreference ID for the upcoming program.

If the program cannot be identified, Block 52 is reached to request theuser to manual input scheduling information for the request recording,such as if there is insufficient data included within the tuned-toprogram to automatically identify the to be recorded program. This mayrequire the user to have some knowledge of the channel being used tocarry the program and time period during which the channel must berecorded in order to facilitate scheduling the recording in Block 48.If, however, there is sufficient data available to identify the programsubject to the recording request, Block 54 is reached.

Block 54 determines whether the embedded data sufficient to schedule therecoding or whether additional scheduling data required. Onenon-limiting aspect of the present invention contemplates embedding allthe scheduling information needed by the recorder 18 to schedule therecording within the IB data being transmitted with the currentlytuned-to program. This may include embedding the data within a datalayer of an MPEG transport stream used to transport the currently tunedto program such that it can be recovered by the output device orrecorder 18 in Block 56 and transmitted to the recorder 18 in Block 18to schedule the recording.

If the embedded data is unable to provide all the necessary schedulinginformation, Block 58 is reached and a request for the schedulinginformation is made by the output device 20 to the scheduler 22 and/orservice provider 12 for the missing information. One non-limiting aspectof the present invention contemplates simply embedding a reference ID orother ID within the currently tuned-to program stream to identifying theprogram desired for recording. This ID can be recovered from the streamand transmitted to the scheduler 22 to identify the program. Thescheduler 22 can cross-reference the reference ID with the storedscheduling information to identify the scheduling information requiredby the recorder 18. Optionally, different scheduling instructions may bestored for the same program depending on the schedulingdemands/requirements of the recorder performing the recording.

The scheduler may communicate the scheduling information back to theoutput device 20 and/or directly to the recorder 18, either through IBor OOB messaging, to schedule the recording in Block 48. In this manner,Block 48 can be reached to schedule a future recording according tolocal scheduling information (Block 46), manually inputted schedulinginformation (Block 52), scheduling based on information embedded withinthe tuned-to program (Block 56), and/or scheduling informationtransmitted from the scheduler (Block 58). With respect to the last twooptions, the program scheduled for recording is automatically identifiedand the scheduling information is automatically retrieved while the useris tuned-to another program and watching a commercial or other eventshown within that program.

As supported above, one non-limiting aspect of the present inventionrelates to a system to enable creation of a DVR program event based on acommercial, even when the DVR does not have any knowledge of the event(e.g., if the program is outside the boundary of the DVR's programguide) or to update a favorites file of a user profile to mark a programfor future recording/access. This may include the described mechanismfor scheduling the recording of an event based on a commercial, whetherit falls inside our outside the program guide window.

When a commercial for a TV program is inserted into a broadcast stream,information about the program can be embedded in the stream (usingextended Data Service—XDS—in the analog or digital stream). If a usersees the commercial and wants to watch the program, they can instructthe DVR to create a timer or reminder for that program. This timer orreminder can still be set up even if the program falls outside of thewindow of program guide information. At least three methods may be usedto schedule the recoding:

1) Reliance on enough information about the program being embedded inthe commercial. This may include embedding the date, time, channel, andnumber of programs (e.g., in the case of a special series). The DVR canread this information directly from the analog or digital stream, andset up a timer or reminder.

2) A unique identifier can be embedded in the commercial. Thisidentifier can then be used by the DVR to look up the programinformation using an IP connection or some other mechanism for two-waycommunication between a server and the DVR. This identifier can becreated using a unique number generator, a hash function, or some othermechanism that will ensure it is unique. Based on the information theDVR receives, it can then schedule a timer or reminder. This may help inthe event a commercial is broadcast over satellite, over-the-air, orcable. Because channel line-ups vary from one operator to the other, asingle piece of information can be used by all DVRs regardless of theservice provider.

3) A combination of #1 and #2—where the stream may contain someinformation, but perhaps not enough to properly schedule the recoding.In such an event, the DVR can still look up the information it needs tocreate a timer or reminder.

This system can solve the DVRs being restricted in their ability torespond to what users want to do, especially when those needs are basedon shows they are watching. Adding the capabilities suggested by thepresent invention would make a DVR much easier to use, and may providean incentive for users to watch commercials because they can easily spotshows they want to watch. It can also inform users if they don't haveaccess to the TV station—providing the opportunity to upsell customersin the event they see programs they want to watch. If information can beembedded in the stream, then there is no need for additional equipmentor signaling. It applies equally to broadcast, satellite or cabledistribution of video programming.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the presentinvention.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. For use within a television system, a method ofrecording a first or second television program advertised duringplayback of a third television program, wherein a recorder configured torecord television program has recording information sufficient to set arecording for the third program and lacks recording informationsufficient to set a recording for the first and second televisionprograms, the method comprising: embedding information within signalingtuned to by an output device to display the third program, the embeddedinformation including recording information sufficient to facilitate therecorder recording the first program in the event an access request isreceived during a first portion of the third program and recordinginformation sufficient to facilitate the recorder recording the secondprogram in the event the access request is received during a secondportion of the third program; providing access instructions at least tothe recorder for recording the first or second program according to theembedded information based on whether the access request is receivedduring the first or second portion of the third program; and providingthe access instructions such that the recorder automatically schedules arecording of the first or second program, the access instructionsdefining a time period and a channel for the recording, the time periodand the channel being embedded within the signaling tuned to by theoutput device, the time period occurring after completion of the thirdprogram.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing theaccess instructions to the output device such that the output deviceautomatically tunes to an on-demand showing of the first or secondprogram, the on-demand showing being recorded by the recorder.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising providing the access instructionsto a user profile associated with a user making the access request suchthat a favorites folder within the user profile is automatically updatedto note recording of the first or second program.
 4. The method of claim1 further comprising determining whether the access request is receivedduring the first or second portion of the third program depending on asegment ID associated with the images showing proximate in time toreceipt of the access request, the segment ID being embedded within thesignaling in addition to the embedded recording information.
 5. Themethod of claim 4 further comprising instructing the output device totransmit the segment ID within a message sent to an access controller,the access controller providing the access instructions for accessingthe first and second programs.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein theoutput device includes an electronic programming guide (EPG) applicationfor displaying user navigable options to facilitate selecting programsfor automated recording with the recorder, and wherein the methodfurther comprises determining the access request while the EPGapplication is unable to facilitate recording of the first and secondtelevision programs and while images related to the third program arebeing output to the display.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprisingembedding the recording information as in-band (IB) data within thesignaling.
 8. A method of scheduling a recorder to record programs froman upcoming linear television broadcast, the recorder requiringrecording information that identifies a time period and channel ofprograms to be recorded in order to schedule recording, the recorderhaving recording information to facilitate recording upcoming lineartelevision broadcasts of programs occurring within a upcoming period oftime, the method comprising: in response to receiving a recordingrequest, determining whether the recording request resulted fromplayback of a commercial showing during playback of another program; ifthe request resulted from playback of the commercial: retrievingrecording information for a program associated with the advertisementfrom the recorder if the program occurs within the upcoming period oftime; retrieving recording information for the program from thecommercial if the program occurs beyond the upcoming period of time; andtransmitting a scheduling request to the recorder to schedule recordingof the program, the scheduling request including the retrieved recordinginformation; wherein the recording information is embedded within thecommercial by a scheduler and transmitted within a linear broadcast ofthe another program; and wherein the embedded recording informationidentifies the time period and channel for use by the recorder inrecording the program.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein a devicesupports playback of the another program by tuning to televisionchannels and outputting related images to a display, and the methodfurther comprises determining the recording request to result fromplayback of the commercial if the recording request is received from thedevice while the device was tuned to the another program at a timeproximate to playback of the commercial.
 10. The method of claim 9further comprising instructing the device to provide a pop-up icon toprompt a user to request the recording.
 11. The method of claim 9wherein the commercial of the another program has the recordinginformation embedded therein.
 12. A method of scheduling a recorder torecord a first program from a television transmission, the recorderhaving loaded recording instructions sufficient to facilitate recordinga second program, the method comprising: during playback of the secondprogram other than the first program, embedding non-loaded recordinginstructions within the second program as in-band (IB) signaling, thenon-loaded recording instructions being sufficient for use with therecorder to automatically schedule the recording of the first program inresponse to determining a recording request for the first program; andspecifying a time period and a channel needed by the recorder toschedule the recording, the time period and the channel being embeddedwithin a transport stream used to transport the second program.
 13. Themethod of claim 12 further comprising: determining the recording requestif a record input is received while a user watches a commercialassociated with the first program during playback of the second program;and determining the loaded recording instructions from out-of-band (OOB)signaling transmitted to the recorder.